Schokoladen is a small, nice club in Berlin Mitte and is part of the residential and cultural project Schokoladen e.V. In addition to the concert space, there is also a theater and various artists' studios in the building. Like other larger Berlin clubs at the moment, Schokoladen is also fighting for its survival. Although the last eviction lawsuit from the property owner was (fortunately) unsuccessful, that doesn't mean there won't be another attempt to terminate the lease by the landlord. Next year, we should keep our fingers crossed for Schokoladen.
The last time I was there was at a concert by the Berlin band Hausvabot. That was around early 2005, so it was a good reason to visit Schokoladen again, and the concert by KICK JONESES with the opening act BIESTIG came just in time. On my way to the "place," I first realized that I had forgotten exactly where it was and, wisely, hadn't checked beforehand. A few minutes of searching later, the problem solved itself when I stumbled upon Ackerstraße.
The club was already quite well filled at that time, around 9:30 PM, if not full, as about 50 people made their way to the concert. Considering the size of the concert room, which is about the dimensions of a larger living room, that's quite decent. The concert was supposed to start at 10 PM, so I had a little time to chat with the opening act. BIESTIG consists of two charming 16-year-old twin girls from Karlsruhe, who are starting to play their first concerts in cities far from home while unusually drinking water instead of alcohol and apparently bringing along their entire family. At the age of 16, one has legal issues with driving the tour van, so having a father who also acts as a driver is, of course, extremely useful. The two were certainly excited to be able to musically explore Berlin.
The concert started at 10 PM. One could notice the advantage of minimalist studio recordings: Biestig sounded live just like on the CD, their pop-punky songs from the CD "Nebenan" sounded almost identical live. Both girls shared the lead vocals, sang well in harmony, and created catchy choruses that were pleasant to listen to. However, I missed the instrumental pressure and energy of a live concert (and not just because of the only two instruments: guitar and drums). Over time, I hope that the two will gain more stage confidence through experience and aim their music forward, so they could appear more convincing. After about 30 minutes, Biestig's set was exhausted, and it was time for KICK JONESES.
Most people will likely find this band unfamiliar by name, but they are anything but: They were formed in 1992 from the band WALTER ELF, which was founded in 1982 and made quite a name for itself far beyond the Kaiserslautern city limits in the 80s. You could tell the six band members had years of musical experience; with a lot of wit, charm, and professionally played music, they conquered the stage, impressed, spread good vibes, and at least made the audience tap along.
They mainly moved in the English-speaking area, reminding me at times of the pop-punk of NOFX to the Ramones of the 80s, going back to catchy rock music, but they also expanded their style even further.
Both front singers occasionally picked up their brass instruments, the guitar played a spectrum of many styles up to funk melodies, and a subtly audible keyboard in some songs even reminded one of the Neue Deutsche Welle.
They let their set of well over an hour pass by in a flash, and if it hadn't been required to keep the noise down from midnight, they surely would have played longer.
All in all, it was a nice concert evening, and I will gladly visit Schokoladen again. Let's hope that the residents support Schokoladen in its survival and see the benefits of a concert in the neighboring house, instead of presumably complaining that they can't watch folk music shows undisturbed on Saturday evenings.